Delta Air Lines plane.Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via GettyUnited, Delta and other U.S. airlines canceled or delayed hundreds of flights on Christmas Day as cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to rise.More than 900 flightshave been canceled and over 1,000 others have been delayed so far on Saturday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight data in real-time.United Airlines has already canceled 238 flights and delayed another 72 while Delta has canceled 301 and delayed 99. JetBlue has also canceled 123 flights, while 165 others have been delayed. American Airlines has also been impacted, with 90 cancelations and 170 delays.On Christmas Eve, United and Delta were among several airlines to cancel or delay flights on Friday as COVID-19 cases rise in the U.S.A United Airlines spokesperson said, “The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” in a statement to PEOPLE on Saturday.“As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,” the spokesperson added.The spokesperson apologized “for the disruption” and said the airline is “working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.“United Airlines.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.A Delta spokespersontold PEOPLEon Thursday that they were working hard to get travelers where they need to go.“Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying — before canceling,” the spokesperson said.“We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans,” they added. “Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight.“Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the Omicron variant is currently themost dominantCOVID-19 strain in the country at 73.2% of cases reported between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18. The week prior, only 12.6% of the reported coronavirus cases were Omicron.On Nov. 29, the CDC said that it “strongly encourages” all individuals receive a booster shot six months after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot. The announcement came shortly after the Omicron variant wasdetected in North Americafor the first time in two people from Canada that had recently returned to the country from a trip to Nigeria.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
Delta Air Lines plane.Photo: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty
United, Delta and other U.S. airlines canceled or delayed hundreds of flights on Christmas Day as cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to rise.More than 900 flightshave been canceled and over 1,000 others have been delayed so far on Saturday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight data in real-time.United Airlines has already canceled 238 flights and delayed another 72 while Delta has canceled 301 and delayed 99. JetBlue has also canceled 123 flights, while 165 others have been delayed. American Airlines has also been impacted, with 90 cancelations and 170 delays.On Christmas Eve, United and Delta were among several airlines to cancel or delay flights on Friday as COVID-19 cases rise in the U.S.A United Airlines spokesperson said, “The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” in a statement to PEOPLE on Saturday.“As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,” the spokesperson added.The spokesperson apologized “for the disruption” and said the airline is “working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.“United Airlines.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via GettyNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.A Delta spokespersontold PEOPLEon Thursday that they were working hard to get travelers where they need to go.“Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying — before canceling,” the spokesperson said.“We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans,” they added. “Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight.“Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the Omicron variant is currently themost dominantCOVID-19 strain in the country at 73.2% of cases reported between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18. The week prior, only 12.6% of the reported coronavirus cases were Omicron.On Nov. 29, the CDC said that it “strongly encourages” all individuals receive a booster shot six months after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot. The announcement came shortly after the Omicron variant wasdetected in North Americafor the first time in two people from Canada that had recently returned to the country from a trip to Nigeria.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
United, Delta and other U.S. airlines canceled or delayed hundreds of flights on Christmas Day as cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to rise.
More than 900 flightshave been canceled and over 1,000 others have been delayed so far on Saturday, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight data in real-time.
United Airlines has already canceled 238 flights and delayed another 72 while Delta has canceled 301 and delayed 99. JetBlue has also canceled 123 flights, while 165 others have been delayed. American Airlines has also been impacted, with 90 cancelations and 170 delays.
On Christmas Eve, United and Delta were among several airlines to cancel or delay flights on Friday as COVID-19 cases rise in the U.S.
A United Airlines spokesperson said, “The nationwide spike in Omicron cases this week has had a direct impact on our flight crews and the people who run our operation,” in a statement to PEOPLE on Saturday.
“As a result, we’ve unfortunately had to cancel some flights and are notifying impacted customers in advance of them coming to the airport,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson apologized “for the disruption” and said the airline is “working hard to rebook as many people as possible and get them on their way for the holidays.”
United Airlines.Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
A Delta spokespersontold PEOPLEon Thursday that they were working hard to get travelers where they need to go.
“Delta teams have exhausted all options and resources — including rerouting and substitutions of aircraft and crews to cover scheduled flying — before canceling,” the spokesperson said.
“We apologize to our customers for the delay in their holiday travel plans,” they added. “Delta people are working hard to get them to where they need to be as quickly and as safely as possible on the next available flight.”
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the Omicron variant is currently themost dominantCOVID-19 strain in the country at 73.2% of cases reported between Dec. 12 and Dec. 18. The week prior, only 12.6% of the reported coronavirus cases were Omicron.
On Nov. 29, the CDC said that it “strongly encourages” all individuals receive a booster shot six months after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or two months after their first dose of the Johnson & Johnson shot. The announcement came shortly after the Omicron variant wasdetected in North Americafor the first time in two people from Canada that had recently returned to the country from a trip to Nigeria.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
